Neighborhood News Digest – 14 July 2023

Afghanistan

Kabul Residents Say They Struggle With Lack of Water – Tolo News

Residents of the capital are concerned about the lack of drinking water in Kabul these days. They said that they do not have access to city water supply services and the price of the drinking water from private companies has also increased. “People's problems are many. If you ring the bell, three days or four days later it will be your turn to get water. Water also comes at a high price,” said Sher Mohammad, a Kabul resident.Click here to read… [2]

Authorities Confirm Closure of Teacher Training Centers Across Afghanistan – The Khaama Press

The Taliban authorities have confirmed shut down of “Teacher Training Centers” in Afghanistan, claiming that the previous government removed it from the Education ministry. According to the letter sent from the Ministry of Education to Khaama Press on Wednesday, higher teacher training institutions have been eliminated from the Ministry of Education’s organizational structure.Click here to read… [3]

Bangladesh

Foreign Ministry: US Under Secretary Zeya reaffirms commitment to stronger ties – Dhaka Times

US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya has reaffirmed her country's commitment to strengthening ties with Bangladesh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.Click here to read… [4]

Bhutan

Assam on high alert after Bhutan notifies to release excess water from hydropower dam – India Today NE

The Druk Green Power Corporation Limited (DGPC) of Bhutan, which runs the Kurichhu project in eastern Bhutan, announced on July 13 that it will be carrying out a Reservoir scouring of Kurichhu Hydropower Plant on July 14. In a notification, it stated that the Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) will release the water stored in the reservoir from 00:00 Hrs of 14th July 2023 in a controlled manner and is expected to complete by 9:00 Hrs of the same day.Click here to read… [5]

Bhutan begins construction on country’s first utility-scale solar farm – PVTech

The Bhutanese government has started construction on the country’s first utility-scale solar farm, the Sephu solar project, which boasts a capacity of 17.38MW. The government’s department of energy, part of the ministry of energy and natural resources, will oversee work on the project, while construction work will be completed by a joint venture comprising Bhutanese construction firm M/S Rigsar and Indian engineering company PES.Click here to read… [6]

Maldives

No Nationwide Support for Opposition's 'India Out' Campaign: Maldivian Foreign Minister – The Wire

With presidential elections due in two months, Maldives is witnessing intense political manoeuvring. Unlike the last presidential elections which were a two-way fight, the splintering of the ruling party with former President Mohamed Nasheed forming his own group means that ruling party’s path to returning to power is not as easy as it had seemed a year ago.Click here to read… [7]

Myanmar

Myanmar military regime accused of murdering political prisoners – AlJazeera

Myanmar’s military coup leaders have been accused of murdering dozens of political prisoners and in some cases disguising their deaths as escape attempts. The military removed political prisoners from Kyaiksakaw Prison, in Bago Region’s Daik-U township, on June 27 under the pretence of transferring them, but a total of 37 have since gone missing, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) – a prominent monitoring group that documents civilian deaths, arrests and extrajudicial killings – said in a statement this week.Click here to read… [8]

Nepal

Supreme Court orders authorities to present Secretary Raut before court within 24 hours - The Kathmandu Post

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the government to produce Krishna Bahadur Raut, secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, before the court within 24 hours. A single bench of Justice Til Prasad Shrestha ordered the defendants including the Ministry of Home Affairs to present a written clarification through the Office of Attorney General as to why the arrest was made and why not to issue an order as demanded by the plaintiff.Click here to read… [9]

Indians are now travelling to neighbouring country to buy tomatoes after price skyrockets – Independent

As tomato prices surge in India, residents living in the border Himalayan state of Uttarakhand have started to cross over to Nepal to purchase them at significantly lower prices. The trend has gained momentum in the districts of Dharchula and Banbasa, where individuals are crossing the border to take advantage of the price difference.Click here to read… [10]

Pakistan

Pakistan gets a $1 billion deposit from the UAE ahead of an important IMF decision – Zee News

The deposit came a day after Saudi Arabia deposited $2 billion to Islamabad, bringing the country's foreign reserves to $7.5 billion, more than doubling the account balance from last week.Click here to read… [11]

'Friendly' Pakistan opens headwork gates, allows flood water flow into its area – The Tribune

For a change, Pakistan is acting as a “friendly neighbour”! Unlike in the past, when the neighbouring country would close its gates at the Suleiman Headworks of the Sutlej, while it was in spate in Punjab, the neighbouring country has allowed the gushing river water to flow into its territory.Click here to read… [12]

Five killed in attack by Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan on Balochistan military garrison – The Telegraph Online

Heavily-armed militants attacked an army garrison in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province in the early hours of Wednesday, killing at least four soldiers and wounding five others, the army said. A group of terrorists launched a “dastardly attack” on Zhob Garrison in the north of the province, leading to clashes in which three militants were also killed, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) — the media wing of the army — said in a statement.Click here to read… [13]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's India to focus on energy, maritime, agriculture issues – The Economic Times

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s India trip on July 21 could lead to new arrangements across several sectors including power and energy, agriculture and maritime issues. Wickremesinghe, on his maiden trip to India in his current capacity, will be accompanied by three of his top ministers.Click here to read… [14]